More people heading to court to spur action on climate change, study finds
Study by UN and Columbia finds ‘proliferation’ of cases instigated by citizens Lion’s share of court cases are in US but number also growing around the world Governments around the world are increasingly being challenged in court to do more to combat the threat of climate change, with litigation ranging from a group’s attempt to […]
How plastic took over the world in 50 years | Letters
Plastic was the disruptive technology of its day but now we know the mess will never be cleared up, writes Professor John Holford. Plus letters from Chris Gee and Harold Forbes Is anyone cheered by your report of the extent and intensity of plastic pollution (38 million pieces of plastic waste found on uninhabited South Pacific island, 16 May)? The […]
'My worst nightmares are coming true': last major primeval forest in Europe on 'brink of collapse'
Polish government is accused of pushing Białowieża forest ecosystem to point of no return with state-sanctioned logging in Unesco world heritage site Scientists and environmental campaigners have accused the Polish government of bringing the ecosystem of the Białowieża forest in north-eastern Poland to the “brink of collapse”, one year after a revised forest management plan […]
¿Por qué la obsesión de Latinoamérica por las represas?
Son símbolos de orgullo nacional, pero dado el aumento en las protestas y los costos medioambientales ahora se cuestiona el futuro de las mega represas Leia este artigo em português Read this article in English Durante abril de 2014, las lluvias fueron monumentales. Para principios de mayo, los operadores de la represa de 219 MW […]
Why is Latin America so obsessed with mega dams?
Protests against Latin America’s pursuit of hydropower are increasing as the environmental costs mount up. Is the end of the region’s mega dams in sight? Leia este artigo em português Leer este artículo en español The rains had been monumental throughout April 2014. By early May, the operators of the 219 MW Cachoeira Caldeirão dam […]
UK bathing water ranks next from last in EU beach table
20 sites fail safe bathing criteria stoking fears UK will once more be ‘dirty man of Europe’ after Brexit The UK is second bottom in a league table ranking EU countries on the quality of their bathing water, stoking fears that the “dirty man of Europe” could be on his way home after Brexit. 96.4% […]
Family, air quality and a strong business case: the coal executives defecting to green energy
They were the masters of the fossil fuels industry. Now three former top executives are building the clean energy economy Australian clean energy activists might have recognised some strangely familiar faces joining their ranks of late – those of their greatest adversaries in the coal industry. Coal sector executives have been quietly switching sides to […]
Will coal seam gas save Narrabri, or destroy it? – video
In the first of a series of videos on critical issues confronting regional Australia, Gabrielle Chan investigates the proposed Narrabri gas project in New South Wales. The oil and gas company Santos proposes 850 wells in the Pilliga and some locals see the opportunity for jobs. But others warn of the potential damage to the […]
CSG's last stand? In Narrabri everyone has a stake in the farming v mining fight
In the first of a series of investigations into issues facing regional Australia, we report on how locals in a north-western New South Wales town are bracing to learn the fate of the state’s last coal seam gas project Country towns are, by their nature, conservative. Change happens slowly and traditions are not discarded easily. […]
Winters of death and discontent under the Tories | Letters
Readers react to Theresa May’s threatened withdrawal of the winter fuel allowance and point out the increased number of deaths in custody or due to cold or air pollution in the years since she became home secretary Eight letters on the inheritance issue (20 May) but the real problem for most pensioners in the here and […]